Stuart Hough, Sunnyside Trading Co.

It is hard to believe we are just a couple of days away from the start of (another) new year. This means that we are also just a couple of days short of successfully completing (another) full year. As an old saying goes, “out with the old, in with the new.”

We know this pattern well at Sunnyside: we find ourselves sending pieces to their new homes, thereby making space to welcome new inventory, like ones from the recent Indian shipment that we are spotlighting in this newsletter. Out with the old, in with the new.

This time of year especially seems to catch me at the intersection of old and new, looking in one direction at what has transpired during the last twelve months and, in the other, pondering what’s around the bend. I wonder, though, if it might be more helpful to consider this moment less as a crossroads, and perhaps more like a gateway in which passage can be made back and forth? Just as the Roman God, Janus is depicted with two faces, one that sees into the past and the other peering into the future. Fittingly, the month of January is named for Janus.

When you think about it, both looking backward and forward offer opportunities for reflection. What were the moments that brought the most joy? Pain? What did I learn? How did I change? What do I want to do more of (or less of) in the new year? How do I want to invest my time? What do I want? Where do I see myself (and with whom) one year from now?

I invite you to join me in carving out some time in the days ahead to contemplate these “end of year” passageways. I look forward to hearing where you’ve been, and where the journey takes you from here. It is my further hope that, somewhere along the way, your path will lead you to Sunnyside. Until then, a very happy new year to you and yours from us at Sunnyside!